KSP Articles

Angela, how would you summarize your 20+ years of experience in primary research, analytics, digital and business strategy, and product and service design?

I started in 1995 in primary research, educational CD-ROM and 3D game design and shifted to more and more of a B2B focus with time because, as people got into the same business, they followed what they understood more easily and left the B2B world behind. What interests me is to go where others have not yet. And the B2B digital world needed a lot of attention. Now we realize that people are people and what motivates us in business versus our personal life is starting to become almost identical. So, after all these years and many shifts I realize that one never stops learning and growing. As new technologies and interaction models are created, our behavior also changes and that affects who we are, what we need and therefore the relationship we have with people and brands. In my business, the only thing that stays constant is that we are in a service business that requires exceptional skills with people; our clients, understanding the end customer and the team we need to work with to execute. The rest is always changing; new technologies, new innovations, new perspectives, new companies starting up and disrupting the leaders in their markets, new needs. What keeps me doing this every day is my passion for people and creating great experiences. And after all these years, I don’t think I am ever satisfied with what I have created. It can always be done better and I love to figure out how to do that even though I cannot control some variables that can affect the vision (timing, budget, clients, processes, etc.)

How would you define your current professional life as CEO of K Street Partners?

I am at a stage in my career where I waiver between being a CEO and being an Experience Strategist. My passion has always been in creating exceptional experiences and I treat the company in the same way as I do any project. K Street is simply another project for me. How can we create the right experience for exceptional people to work in? How can we break the boundaries of traditional business models that no longer serve us? How can we make people feel truly passionate about their life and work at the same time? How can I balance the companies need (i.e., profitability) with what my employees need (i.e., time to think)? These are examples of questions I ask myself on a daily-basis. So, at the end of the day, I define my professional life as a great experience!

On Wednesday, June 21st in Madrid, you will be joining us at EXF17. Can you give us a brief sneak-peak into “Ideas Die in the Conference Room”?

I will be focusing on how we leverage user experience best practices in the way we run the company, to help free up time and allow people to really live their lives in a way that affects the work they do and the perspective they have on their work. I believe this creates happier employees and better products and services for our customers.

In today’s hyper fast market, new products often don’t get a second chance to introduce themselves. When developing a new app, service or product, what are the keys to connect instantly with an audience? And in this crowded market, what is the unbeatable advantage when two products go head-to-head?